Happy to Remind You (a McRoll in the REAL World story)
by sammy1026
Summary: An old friend visits the island.


_Mari & Ilna: What can I say? I'm enjoying this adventure every bit as much as I was on day one. Maybe more._

_REAL Worlders-thanks for all the enthusiastic support. You guys are the best._

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**Happy to Remind You (1/1)**

Steve looked up from his desk when he sensed movement in the bullpen and saw one of the security guards from the lobby escorting two unexpected but very welcome guests towards his office. His face blossomed with a genuine smile as he jumped up and headed for the door.

As he pushed it open he heard the man approaching say, "I hope it's ok we stopped by without an appointment."

Steve nodded and smiled brightly. It had been over a year since he'd seen Sam Denning in person. They exchanged emails on a fairly regular basis, but the ex-governor and his family spent most of their time in Los Angeles now.

"You never need an appointment, sir," Steve said as he held the door open and reached out to shake his former boss's hand.

"When are you going to stop calling me sir?" Sam asked.

Steve grinned. "Not anytime soon." He turned his attention to Carol Denning who had stood back a little to allow her husband a joyful reunion with an old friend. "Ma'am, how are you doing? You still look too pretty to have settled for this guy."

He nodded towards the visitors' chairs and the Dennings took a seat.

"He has hidden qualities," Carol said with a twinkle in her eyes.

Steve took a seat behind the desk. "Catherine says the same thing about me."

"Speaking of your lovely wife, they're really getting things done over there at the governor's office," Sam said, somewhat wistfully. "I keep up with the local news and I've been very impressed with what I've seen from them."

"Their hard work is definitely paying off," Steve replied with unmistakable pride in his voice.

"It's a good thing I talked you into choosing Lea Kekoa to be your lieutenant governor." Carol elbowed her husband playfully in the side. "He wanted to choose some hotshot young assistant prosecuting attorney," she told Steve, "but I convinced him Lea would be a better choice. I told him his administration would need a little female energy as opposed to an overload of testosterone."

"I have absolutely no memory of that," Sam said then burst out laughing at Steve's uncomfortable look. "Sorry," he said, "that's a little gallows humor we Alzheimer's patients engage in from time to time."

Carol shook her head and smiled at her husband's joke. One thing she had learned over the last three years was that it was important to enjoy the laughter when she could. It helped get her through the much darker periods of her husband's battle with the disease. "You remember it very well. You just pretend you don't because that assistant PA is currently serving eighteen months for a road rage incident and Lea Kekoa has turned out to be an amazing leader and a great governor just like I told you she would."

Sam Denning beamed at his wife and his love for her was written all over his face. She was his rock during this difficult time. He had no idea what he would ever do without her and the thought that at some point he might not remember who she was broke his heart. "You were right, dear. Just like always." He kissed her cheek then turned to Steve. "And speaking of wives, how is Catherine doing? Still loving her job as chief-of-staff?"

Steve nodded. "Absolutely. They're working on an expansion to their education bill right now to beef up the STEM program in every school in the state."

"Good for them," Denning said sincerely. "I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to stop by the governor's office on this visit so please give Catherine my best and tell her I've been very impressed with the work they've been doing."

Steve nodded. "I'll do that."

"How is …" Sam Denning's struggle to remember what he wanted to say next was written all over his face. "...your daughter doing?" A shadow of sadness passed over his face. "I'm sorry. I've forgotten her name."

"Angie," Steve said, careful not to let his face show his dismay at the evidence of his friend's deteriorating mental condition. "She's amazing. Keeps Catherine and me on our toes every minute. She's a little daredevil. Loves to climb everything in sight."

"Well she certainly comes by that naturally," Denning chuckled. "Just wait until she gets a little older and starts walking."

Steve shared a look with Carol Denning. She'd explained to him in one of their regular email exchanges that the ex-governor's short-term memory was getting significantly worse though to this point his long-term memory remained blessedly intact.

"She's already mastered that." Steve was careful to keep his tone light. "Now she does pretty much everything at full speed."

"I'm sorry … sometimes I forget …" Sam said apologetically.

"Nothing to apologize for," Steve assured him. "There's nothing I like talking about more than my kids. I'm happy to refresh your memory as often as needed."

Denning smiled gratefully. "Wait, did you say kids plural?"

"Yes. Steve and Catherine are adopting a little boy," Carol said. "He's six, right?" she asked Steve.

"Yes." Steve had told Denning about the adoption plans in several emails over the last few months but so far the news just hadn't stuck. "He's in first grade. His name is DJ. Angie absolutely adores him."

Denning shook his head and smiled. "When I first met you I never could have pictured you in love, settled, and with two kids."

"You and me both," Steve said. "Yet here I am. Happier than I ever thought possible."

They visited for another twenty minutes before Carol announced they had to get going. They had a meeting with a realtor to discuss selling their home on the island.

When Sam stepped down they had planned on splitting their time between LA, to be close to his doctors, and the home in Honolulu they both loved. After a few months though it had become apparent that the stress of travel, and the disruption of his normal daily schedule, only exacerbated Sam's condition. He seemed happiest and most stable with consistency, predictability and a structured routine. In order to help hold his disease progression at bay for as long as possible they had opted to find those things in LA close to the specialists he was working with.

As difficult a decision as it had been, it was time to let go of their beloved island home. The sad reality was that medical bills were beginning to pile up. As much as Carol would have loved to be able to stay home and be her husband's full-time caregiver she had been forced to return to work to provide the family with an income. Luckily, her job as a fundraiser for a large charitable organization allowed her some flexibility in her schedule but the cost of nursing care while she was at work as well as experimental medications not covered by insurance added up. The money they could bring in from the sale of their Hawaii home was much needed.

"Do me a favor and tell Catherine I'm very impressed by the things they're getting done over there," Denning said as the trio made their way across the bullpen towards the elevator. "I'm not sure if we'll get a chance to stop over and see them on this visit."

Steve's heart went out to the man, once so intellectually sharp, who had repeated that same thought three times in the last half hour. "I will," he promised.

"It's good to see you again, Steve." Denning shook his hand.

"You too, sir."

"Give us a call next time you're in Los Angeles," Carol said. "We'd love to have you over for lunch."

Steve smiled. "I'll do that."

Danny stepped off the elevator just as the Denning's were approaching. He reached back and held the door open while they exchanged a few quick pleasantries before the ex-governor and his wife headed off for their appointment. As he entered the bullpen he saw Steve staring at the elevator lost in thought. "You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah." Steve ran his hands over his face. "I'm fine."

"How's Denning doing? I didn't get a chance to say much more than hello," Danny said.

"He's … slipping," Steve replied honestly. "It's much harder to tell in emails but getting to talk to him in person it's pretty apparent. He's starting to repeat things and have trouble with names. He thought Angie wasn't walking yet."

Danny shook his head sadly. "It's an awful disease."

"His long-term memory is still pretty good but it's only a matter of time before that starts failing too," Steve sighed. "I can't imagine anything worse than forgetting the people you love."

"Me either," Danny agreed. He looked at his best friend and knew exactly what he was thinking. "That's not gonna happen to you, Steve."

Steve exhaled heavily. "I hope not."

"You're too stubborn," Danny teased.

Steve chuckled. "I hope you're right. But if it ever does …"

"God forbid," Danny interjected.

"Yes," Steve agreed. "But if it ever does …" His voice trailed off as he struggled to wrap his mind around such an awful thought.

"If it ever does, God forbid, I promise to spend every day talking to you about your epic love story with Catherine and your amazing kids so that you can have the pleasure of falling in love with them again every single day."

Steve smiled. "Promise?"

Danny raised his hand to his chest. "Cross my heart."

The sound of excited chatter made them both look up just in time to see Catherine step off the elevator with DJ and Angie in tow. The children ran towards the bullpen and pushed as hard as they could against the heavy glass door with little luck until Catherine reached them and held it open.

"Hi Daddy!" DJ called happily. "Hi Uncle Danno!"

"Daddy!" Angie squealed then held up her arms to be picked up. After kissing her father she turned to her beloved godfather. "Dannnnnnnnooooo!"

"Anggggiiiiiiiiie!" he grinned in return.

Steve leaned in to kiss Catherine. "You just missed the Dennings. They stopped in to say hello."

"How are they doing?" Catherine asked.

"We'll talk about it later," Steve said, and Catherine could tell by his tone and the look on his face it had been a tough visit.

"Did you remember we have an open house at school tonight, Daddy?" DJ asked.

"I did." Steve smiled. "I've been looking forward to it."

"Mommy said afterwards maybe we can get pizza."

Angie threw her arms in the air then squirmed to be put down. "Pizza!"

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Steve said.

"We'd invite you to join us, but Grace said you're all going to some fancy gala Gabby's boss is throwing tonight," Catherine said as she kept watch on the kids who were now exploring the bullpen. "Black tie."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Grace and Gabby have been planning their outfits for weeks. I'm dreading putting on my tuxedo."

"It's gonna be a lot of fun," Catherine said confidently.

"Maybe." Danny shrugged. "I've been to my share of these things over the years and to be honest they all kind of blend together. I kinda envy what you guys are doing tonight. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing your kid's artwork taped to the wall. I remember every single open house I ever went to clear as a bell."

Steve and Danny exchanged a look.

"You guys should come over for the barbecue redo we missed last weekend when we were down with pinkeye," Steve suggested. "We have a Scrabble bet to settle."

"Sounds good." Danny smiled. "I'm sure it'll be a lot more memorable than this gala."

"I hope so," Steve said as Catherine corralled Angie who was attempting to pull herself up onto the smart table. "But just in case you ever forget, I'll be happy to remind you."

**THE END**

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